The heterogeneous genus Candida belongs to the family Saccharomycetaceae with the Deuteromycetes (Fungi Imperfecti). The genus contains approximately 200 species, the number of which may change due to technological advances that will affect the current apparent taxonomic relationship perhaps leading to new species belonging to the genera.
The genus Candida is responsible for candidiasis and other conditions, some of which are lethal. In humans, the most common cause is C. albicans. However, other species are also responsible for candidiasis including C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, C. guilliermondii, C. glabrata, C. dubliniensis and C. krusei. For example, C. tropicalis accounts for about one third of all cases of deep candidiasis in neutropenic patients. Other medically important Candida spp. include C. catenulata, C. ciferrii, C. haemlulonii, C. kefyr, C. lipolytica, C. lusitaniae, C. norvegensis, C. parapsilosis, C. pulcherrima, C. rugosa, C. utilis, C. viswanathii and C. zeylanoides. 
Species of Candida that are pathogenic for humans exist as benign commensals in their host organisms, in one or more body locations. As opportunistic pathogens, they are poised to overgrow cavities and penetrate tissue in response to an alteration in host physiology that presumable compromises the immune functions that normally suppress their growth.
Candida albicans is one species of Candida. It is normally a commensal organism that lives in different parts of the body. However, C. albicans is responsible for numerous common infections in humans including vaginal yeast infections, thrush (oral candidiasis), esophagitis, gastrointestinal candidiasis, cutaneous candidiasis, diaper rash, paronychia (nail fold infection), chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, and life-threatening systemic infections. In fact, C. albicans is the leading fungal infection in immunocompromised patients and is also one of the leading infections in patients with long hospital stays and indwelling catheters. Such infections result in an estimated cost to hospitals of $34,000-$45,000 per patient and a national annual cost of $216-280 million dollars per year. As the number of immunocompromised patients increases, the amount of money spent annually will correspondingly also increase. The need is further compounded by the emergence of drug resistance of certain fungi to the existing drugs.
Another Candida species is C. glabrata. C. glabrata is regarded as a symbiont of humans and can routinely be isolated from the oral cavity and the genitourinary, alimentary and respiratory tract of most individuals. As an agent of serious infection, it has been associated with endocarditis, meningitis, and multifocal, disseminated disease.
Although the genomes of some organisms have been fully sequenced, the Candida genome has been not completed and publicly accessible portions present proteins which are not complete and contain errors. Development of genome-wide functional analysis in C. albicans has been hampered by the asexual and diploid nature of the organism. Moreover, there is still a need for the identification of reliable determinants of virulence (Navarro-Garcia et al., 2001 FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 25: 245-68). Also, some of these pathogens have become resistant to antifungal agents, especially triazole compounds.
As a consequence, methods of treating C. albicans are of growing importance. Thus new targets for treating C. albicans need to be identified. The invention disclosed herein provides a rapid method for identifying such targets, e.g., cell surface proteins, and the proteins identified thereby. The proteins thus identified can then be used to develop therapeutic, prophylactic and diagnostic antibodies, vaccines, drugs, diagnostic kits, and prophylactic compositions and compounds.